Chapter Text
Pomni stared down the hall, watching the bedroom door. Of course the clocks in the playhouse didn't really move but it still felt like it had been hours.
Sat at the dining table she watched Zooble walking past, bringing with them a frying pan.
"You know you don't have to cook," Pomni peered over their shoulder, leaning back.
"My night to cook."
"What?"
Zooble pointed to the wall. There, on what seemed to be a whiteboard with little pictures of their heads. Standing she examined the chore chart.
Kinger:
Pomni:
Gangle:
Jax:
Zooble: Dinner, dishes, vacuum, water plants, put the kids to bed, finish homework.
Biting her lip to keep from laughing aloud Pomni turned. "So have you figured out the plot yet?"
Zooble hummed. "If it isn't a teen coming of age story where they break away and take a train to freedom then, no, I haven't."
"You really don't have to do all of that."
"I know," Zooble collected the plates from an upper shelf. "But it's something to do other than tea parties and… whatever Kinger is doing."
Hardly daring to look around Pomni turned to find Kinger, carefully making a pillow fort with the couch cushions. She felt her soft smile. Let him find his own peace. The adventure was a nicer one, enough time to breathe without something after them.
Brushing him off Pomni tried to peer over the counter top, feeling like an idiot when her chin didn't breach the rounded edge.
"You can get a chair if you need," Zooble, spun the bottle of olive oil in hand.
Feeling flushed Pomni decided to simply sit in the proffered chair. "Are you sure you weren't a cook before, too?"
"Call it more of a hobby."
Pomni smiled. "You seem to have had a lot of those."
Shrugging one shoulder Zooble set it down. "I don't know. I wasn't good at choosing something and sticking with it."
Mouth opening, Pomni snapped it shut. Best not to point it out. "I can understand that. It's hard to choose something and stick with it for the rest of your life. But that's the thing about life, you can always change, right?"
Zooble hummed. "I swear someone said something exactly like that to me before."
Pomni blinked.
"Who?"
The pain in their eyes was enough.
"I'm sorry."
Zooble shook their head. "Don't be. It doesn't matter. I do remember what it was about though."
"Oh?"
"I was looking at fostering."
"Like… kids?"
It was strange how, even without a mouth, Zooble somehow managed to smile. "Probably not kids, probably more like, 'kid'. It was when I was tattooing. I was making decent money then. And the whole partner, dating thing wasn't working out. So I thought, why not?" Zooble opened the fridge and haded Pomni a cartoonish basket of vegetables and a knife.
Pomni took them without question, getting up on her knees to be level with the table. "So what happened?"
Zooble gestured around them. "I don't think I'd even started on the paperwork. Probably for the best though, I can't imagine what I'd out them through if I'd ended up here with a kid at home."
Pomni felt the shiver up her spine. "Yeah."
"What about you?"
Pomni shook her head. "No. I didn't have anyone, let alone anyone close enough for kids. I think my mom was ready for grandkids though." Her stomach twisted. "I hope she's okay."
They fell into a soft silence.
"Do you think anyone else has kids?"
Pomni hummed, concentrating on the carrot in front of her. "Gangle is too young. Ragatha might make a good mom."
"I still don't understand why Caine didn't make her 'mom'," Zooble interrupted. "I don't know. Making her an actual doll feels mean."
Pomni shrugged. "The same way it makes no sense I'm the dad. And I'm in a suit. Does this mean I have a job or…" She hummed. "I wonder if Caine just base it off a doll house or something."
Zooble let it go. "As long as Caine isn't 'dear old dad' I'm just fine with whatever configuration he wants to make."
Caine hadn't ever attended an adventure but Pomni was incredibly grateful for it and didn't want to push fate. Smothering her shudder she pressed on.
"You'd make a good 'mom'," Pomni smiled. "Real life or not."
Zooble relaxed a fraction. "Thanks. I think you would too, if that means anything."
Judging by the warmth under her ribcage it really did.
"And Kinger-" the thought stopped her dead in her tracks. What if Kinger had kids? Kids left out in the real world. Kinger was here and his wife- Pomni shook her head quickly. "I don't think so. No one's ever mentioned any kids before, right?"
Zooble glanced down the hall. "No. Not directly."
Pomni followed their gaze. Not way. Wiping the carrots into a small bowl Pomni peered over the others. "So what's for dinner chef Zooble?"
Snorting Zooble greased the frying pan. "Stir Fry. Pretty easy to make and it's not soup. We actually seem to have a variety of spices. And it's one I don't need a recipe for. Mommy Jax must make us all very healthy meals."
For a split second Pomni was sure Zooble would roll thier eyes so hard they'd pop out.
Stifling a google Pomni's gaze slid down the hallway once more. Nibbling at her lip she forced out a half hearted laugh.
"You can go check on him if you want to but," Zooble frowned, possibly grimaced. "I don't know what good it will do you. He'll probably bite your head off."
"Probably." It didn't stop her worrying.
Zooble collected the chopped veggies. "Go watch tv, keep Kinger company," their face pinched for a split second. "I don't know about this whole place."
Wanting to argue, Pomni bit her lip. They had a point. Pomni wasn't sure if it was the people in it or the house itself. But something about it all made her skin crawl.
Retreating to the living room once more, Pomni bent over and peered inside. Kinger was on the floor, hands on the bump imitation of his knees, swaying slowly like he was listening to sient music. At least it was calm.
Finding the remote Pomni sat uncomfortably of the stiff couch, turning the tv on. The box burst to life and Caine appeared on the screen, halfway through a sales pitch on a wagon.
"-able to carry as many children as you need to! Perfect for all ages of child!" Bubble floated by, grinning from, well perhaps ear-to-ear was the wrong way to phrase it.
Pomni tilted her head at the stroller. Or, more accurately, it looked like a woven picnic basket with wheels and a bike handle on the back to push it.
"Order by calling the number below or continue watching the commercial to have it sent directly to your front door!"
The bell rung before Pomni could even change the chanel.
Swallowing a sigh Pomni pushed herself up. And headed to the front door. She hadn't though it would open. Caine usually had an incredible level of detail on anything but doors. With a tug she peered around the corner, head tilting up immediately as none other but the gloink queen stared down.
"I am here to deliver a package to-"
Slamming the door immediate Pomni pressed her back against it.
"Who was it?" Zooble leaned around the corner.
"You don't want to know." Pomni twisted the lock. She was not dealing with anything else.
Determined to return and turn the tv off Pomni tripped over something on the rug, landing flat on her face.
A chunky shaped gloink, one eye sliding down the side of it's face, blinked unevenly up at her.
Pomni sighed once and bent over to scoop up the little creature before Zooble could be torn apart once more. "Come on," she grabbed for it. Her gloved fingers slid through, the thing glitching and blinking out of existence.
"What in the-"
Above the lights flickered again, the world feeling like it was sliding sideways.Yelping Pomni struggled to grab onto something, anything before her legs came out from underneath her, scrambling, she managed to grab something in the hall, feeling the drawer set sliding with her. Scream catching in her throat the entire world righted itself, flickering around the edges. Panting, Pomni stayed on the floor, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the tilting to begin again. She blinked, seeing the four lights, the window too far above. Blinking once the candy colored ceiling returned.
"It's happening again," Gangle emerged, dizzy. Ragatha clung to her arm.
Grabbing the edge of the table, Pomni got her feet firmly underneath her. "Is everyone okay?"
Zooble righted themselves, face dark. "Dinner is ging to have to start over. But fine." Ragatha hopped off Gangle's shoulder, running at full speed toward the living room. Pomni only had to take one step to catch up. Peering around the corner she found Kinger lying in a pile of pillows and blankets, unable to see more than one eye and half his head behind a pillow stolen form the couch. "Earthquake?" he asked, sounding dizzy.
Pomni smiled only to have the expression wiped away. "Jax?"
Ignoring Zooble's small snort Pomni shot down the hall, giggling the handle. It turned but something had been pressed into the frame. She stepped back, ready to ram into the wall. "Jax! Are you okay?"
"Pomni…"
She almost didn't hear Ragatha's terrified squeak.
Pomni did see the lights though. Neon, flickering just under the door. "Oh." Pomni's heart sunk down to her stomach.